Cowboys, Mike McCarthy Unable To Reach Agreement, Head Coach Leaves After 5 Seasons In Dallas

After plenty of uncertainty, a decision has been made in Dallas.

The Cowboys are letting go of head coach Mike McCarthy after five seasons (2020-2024) according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The sides couldn't agree on length of contract according to and McCarthy will pursue other opportunities, per NFL Media.

McCarthy's 49-34 record since becoming Dallas' head coach in 2020 is tied for the eighth-best in the NFL along with the Minnesota Vikings, and the team's three consecutive 12-win seasons from 2021-2023 were Dallas' first since a four-season stretch from 1992-1995. That's when the team won three Super Bowls in a four-season span. Under McCarthy, the Cowboys became the first team since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to win at least 12 games three years in a row and not make a conference championship game. That's why McCarthy's future was in doubt in the first place. In both years the Cowboys missed the postseason under McCarthy, starting quarterback Dak Prescott suffered season-ending injuries: a fractured ankle (2020) and a torn hamstring (2024). 

Following Dallas's 23-19 home defeat against the Washington Commanders that ran the team's record to 7-10 after battling numerous injuries, McCarthy stated his desire to remain with the Cowboys with his original coaching contract with the team set to expire on Jan. 14. Prescott also told CBS Sports in a one-on-one interview that he would go to bat to owner and general manager Jerry Jones on McCarthy's behalf. 

"Absolutely. I have a lot invested here, and the Cowboys have a lot invested in me," McCarthy said postgame after Week 18 when asked if remaining with the Cowboys is his top preference. "And then there's a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. ... Those are all positive attributes that you take into account. Absolutely, I'm a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here." 

Jones clearly disagreed with McCarthy's assessment that the two built a "very good foundation" together in Dallas, which is why McCarthy is now on the open market. 

McCarthy's record as Dallas Cowboys head coach

2020 - (6-10)

2021 - (12-5)

2022 - (12-5)

2023 - (12-5)

2024 - (7-10) 

Potential Names To Replace Mike McCarthy, Including Outside-The-Box Options

After five years, three playoff appearances and just one postseason victory, the Dallas Cowboys have moved on from head coach Mike McCarthy. After protracted negotiations and a process that included the Cowboys denying another team permission to interview McCarthy less than a week before cutting ties with him themselves, Dallas is now in the market for a new head man.

Armed with a strong roster led by top talent at quarterback (Dak Prescott), wide receiver (CeeDee Lamb), edge rusher (Micah Parsons) and cornerback (DaRon Bland), Dallas should be able to attract a top coaching candidate. But things are never simple with the Cowboys, because Jerry Jones doesn't operate the way other owners operate.

With that in mind, we are sorting the potential coaching candidates for this job into three different buckets, and examining which of them may make sense for the various reasons that need to be considered when it comes to this organization.

Regular coaching search candidates

1. Lions OC Ben Johnson
2. Lions DC Aaron Glenn
3. Ravens OC Todd Monken
4. Vikings DC Brian Flores
5. Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver
6. Bills OC Joe Brady
7. Buccaneers OC Liam Coen

Among the names on this portion of the list, Glenn might be the most likely. He is both a serious candidate and has ties to the Cowboys organization, having played there under Bill Parcells in 2005 and 2006. Glenn has done a great job with Detroit's defense (and New Orleans' before that), and the Jones family loves itself a familiar face.

The other candidates here hold varying degrees of intrigue. Johnson is considered arguably the top candidate on the entire coaching market, and he can probably have his pick of any available opening save for the Patriots job that has already been filled. Will Dallas actually open up the checkbook to get him? That remains to be seen. Brady and Coen are similar candidates, but probably not as costly because they don't have the several years of hype behind them. And then Monken is kind of what those guys would be if they were in their 50s instead of their 30s or 40s.

Flores washed out of his first head-coaching job in spectacular fashion, and also sued the league over its minority hiring practices. He has been an elite defensive coordinator, though, and could get another shot soon. Weaver was already thought of as a potential head coach during his time in Baltimore before moving on to Miami this past season, and he did well there. The Cowboys have also never had a Black head coach, which is something to at least keep in mind here. (It would also apply to Glenn.)

Jerry Jones will make sure they are candidates

1. Eagles OC Kellen Moore
2. Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer
3. Former Cowboys TE Jason Witten
4. Former Cowboys DB/Colorado HC Deion Sanders
5. Former Panthers/Washington HC Ron Rivera
6. Washington OC Kliff Kingsbury

There is nothing that Jerry Jones loves more than a connection to the Cowboys, or to the Jones family. Moore played for the Cowboys and was the team's quarterbacks coach and then offensive coordinator for several years. Zimmer was a Dallas assistant and defensive coordinator in the 1990s and 2000s before returning to the team this past season. Both Witten and Sanders played for the Cowboys, obviously. 

Some of those guys are more serious candidates than others. Moore has been a candidate for several jobs before and, with the exception of his one year with the Chargers, his offenses have been quite good. Sanders is at least a head coach of a major college program. (Jerry would hate having Deion as the coach, if only because Deion's press conferences would draw attention away from Jerry.) Zimmer was out of the league for several years before this season and is now 68 years old, and Witten hasn't coached above the high school level. Jones, though, has compared Witten to Dan Campbell.

Rivera and Kingsbury don't fit the Cowboys ties mold, but they do fit other things Jones likes: Rivera is a known commodity and won't outshine the owner, and has a track record of making his teams at the very least respectable. And Kingsbury would allow him to steal a coordinator from both a division rival and a former Cowboys assistant coach in Dan Quinn. Plus, Kliff has Texas ties with his experience at both Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Jerry loves those Texas ties.

Outside-the-box candidates

1. Texas HC Steve Sarkisian
2. North Carolina HC Bill Belichick
3. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Speaking of Texas ties, there's Sarkisian. He's a former NFL offensive coordinator, who has also spent time at Washington, USC, Alabama and most recently with Texas. His team just went to the College Football Playoff semifinals and played its game in AT&T Stadium, which Jerry Jones loves. (There is zero doubt in my mind that McCarthy having won his Super Bowl in that stadium played a role in his getting the Cowboys job.) 

Belichick is the most famous and arguably best coach in the history of football. Sure, he took the UNC job. But Jones has the money to pay the buyout, if he wants. And what would make a bigger splash than hiring the guy in the hoodie? It's also a bonus that Belichick has very little public personality, which would allow Jones to continue being the guy who does most of the talking.

The Steelers seem like they're stuck in a rut. Would trading Tomlin allow them to break out of it? It doesn't seem that crazy.